Royal Complex
by HurricaneMegan
Summary: AU: Fragments of memories and a single name are all Natsu Stargazer has to help him find a mystery being that he hopes will aid him in discovering who he truly is. But when this mystery being turns out to be the Princess of Fiore, Natsu's life becomes just a little more complicated as the answers to his many questions unfold.
1. Prologue

_A starry sky. An infinite void._

_Empty, save for its vast planets and its numerous points of light. _

_Always shining. Always illuminating. _

_But alas, much too far to touch; to grasp._

* * *

_For as long as I remember, I've been alone. I've felt lost and abandoned with no knowledge as to why, and it doesn't help that my memories are in pieces. The only clue I have to help me figure it all out is a name._

_A single, meaningless name. Or maybe it isn't so meaningless. Maybe –_

_My whole life has been spent searching, but it's been so long and my journeys have always turned up fruitless. On many occasions, I've wanted to give up; give up this whole idea that I would somehow find whomever this stranger is, whomever this single named being is, and that they'll present me with the key to unlocking my past. I've just wanted to quit it all and just grow up. However, something's telling me that I'm close to finding my answer. _

_And that alone is enough._

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Hello! While I know it's been a long time since I've made any sort of appearance on here, I've decided to revive this account and post something. While this is neither an update for the KWMS fic nor the FT fic, it's the first part of a series of chapters (I hope) that will make up the AU I've had going in my head for quite some time now. This was initially a doujin, but drawing became really tedious and time consuming, so I decided to go for this approach. I hope you enjoyed this snippet of the story, and will enjoy the future chapters to come! PS, if you're wondering about the other fics, I will update. Patience.


	2. A Run In

The strong scent of baked goods and countless incenses filled the air of the port town, Hargeon, the hustle and bustle of the afternoon-goers filling the streets with talk and movement. It was normal, of course, for the popular beauty of a town to be crowded on such a day at such a time, but Natsu Stargazer had no idea that the sight was regular. As soon as he had entered the town, he felt suffocated, but waved away the feeling for he had much more important things to attend to that didn't include fretting over his anxiety.

"Looks like this is it," he said to himself, weaving through the constantly moving sea of people while trying to organize his thoughts and formulate a plan. He had no idea where to start his search, let alone who to ask for some sort of directions – but to where or to who, he didn't know. _All that I have is a name... or a word, maybe_, he thought to himself. _A single name..._

"Igneel," he breathed. The six letter string of letters plucked something within him, a low chord that resonated with a bass note that rang true in his ears. It filled him up and brought him hope, and that was all he needed to push him forward and begin his hunt.

Inhaling, the young man stepped lively through the crowd, trying his best to blend in and not catch the eye of the town's guards. _Surely they'll cause a problem_, he noted, eyeing the insignia on the armour of one of said guards, his attention directed to his comrade beside him. The insignia was prominent throughout Hargeon, he realized, the fire in the middle beneath three stars. It was simple and easy to remember, though he knew that there was something much deeper to it than a pretty combination. Still, the question would have to go unanswered because, at the moment, it was none of his concern.

The black cloak he wore danced freely behind him as he sped up his pace, his eyes constantly scanning the area for somewhere – or someone – he could go to to inquire about Igneel; who it was, where it was... anything to help him along his way._ But it could be just like any of the other towns_, he reminded himself, trying hard to keep his hopes at bay. It wouldn't do him any good to have high expectations of the port town at all. He'd come up empty on his other visitations to the nearing towns and cities, disappointment looming over him like a constant cloud coverage; he just couldn't shake it off.

Sighing heavily to himself, Natsu turned the corner in step with the people around him, his eyes on the signs of different buildings when he suddenly_ –_

"_Oof!" _

The high pitched sound startled him some, but he remained calm nonetheless. Something had ran into him, something small, and it was only when he peered down did he see it was a small child – a girl – wearing a hat of sorts with a small braid peeking from underneath. Natsu tilted his head at her as she stepped back, assessing the damage, then smiling to herself as she concluded that she was fine.

"A-Are you okay?" he asked, not wanting to scare the child off. Instead of running away from him like a normal child would from a stranger, she looked up to him and gave him a wide grin.

"Yeah I'm fine, mister!" she said, tilting her hat up. Natsu couldn't help but smile back. "By the way, my name's A–"

"Asuka! Asuka come back!"

Natsu spotted a woman and a man running towards him at full speed, obviously the little girl's parents. He watched as the little girl – Asuka – turned around and opened her arms to her parents. In a matter of seconds, the green haired woman and the dark haired man reached their child and held her in a tight hug. The young man could pick up on their whispered words of distress and relief and the little girl's apology. He had no business here, so he proceeded to turn to leave.

Before he could even take a step, however, the woman grabbed at his cloak and effectively pulled him back. Curious, Natsu raised a brow at her. "Yes, ma'am?" he prompted, wondering why she had wanted him to stay.

The woman smiled at him, her deep byzantium eyes gleaming with the unshed tears she'd obviously held back. "I'd like to thank you," she said, taking his hands without hesitation and holding them between her own. "Asuka," she started, looking over her shoulder for a moment to gaze at her husband and daughter. "She's always running around, you see. More often than not, we lose sight of her." Natsu nodded in understanding. "So yes, thank you for giving us a chance to catch up with her. By the way, my name's Bisca," she said, pointing to herself. "My husband's name is Alzack. I take it you're new here?"

Natsu hadn't anticipated small talk, but it couldn't hurt. Surely his search wouldn't be hindered by a little bit of chit chat. Plus, it would help keep suspicious eyes off of him. So in response to Bisca, Natsu gave a nod. "Yes I am," he responded, giving her a grin. "It's a nice place, Hargeon. A bit too crowed for my liking but I could get used to it." His eyes wandered down the road behind them. "Though, I don't plan to stay too long."

The green haired woman raised a brow. "Oh really? Why's that?"

Natsu ran his hand through his oddly coloured pink locks, giving a chuckle. "I... I'm actually here looking for something... er, someone," he responded, not really knowing what his answer was himself. Igneel was just a name, really. Bisca nodded to him, silently prompting him to go on. "Someone named Igneel...?" he muttered. Bisca's eyes widened before she gave a smirk, causing the young male to tilt his head quizzically. "Bisca...?"

"I think I can help you," she said. Natsu's eyes widened significantly as several emotions flashed across his face, but he settled with a wide smile, genuinely showing how pleased he was with his find. Without question, Bisca signalled for him to follow her as she made her way back to her family, briefly telling Alzack where they were going to bring Natsu. Asuka fell back away from her parents, her hand grabbing hold of one of his fingers.

"Natsu!" she said, having learned his name from her mother. "We're taking you to the royal city!" Natsu nodded slowly in understanding, though really he was utterly confused as to why they would take him there of all places. The royal city was just a larger version of Hargeon in his eyes; crowded, loud, and full of merchants. Of course, there was the obvious castle and hefty amount of guards on duty, but still. There couldn't be anything there for him to discover, could there?

Of course there could be.


End file.
